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Friday, March 21, 2014

BEAUTY AND UTILITY

BEAUTY AND UTILITY

One evening, a thirsty
deer was feeding in the forest. He was happy to see a pond nearby. He bent down
to drink the water. Looking into the clear and still water, he could see his
reflection. The sight of his attractive and alluring antlers made him proud and
happy. He then noticed his long, thin and skinny legs. Sadly, he said to
himself, “These legs are so ugly and do not match my majestic and appealing antlers.”
Suddenly he sensed the approach of a wolf.

The stag ran at top
speed, knowing that the wolf was fast chasing him. He suspected that other
wolves in the pack would have spotted him and joined the race. His long and slender legs helped him to run at
a great speed. He ran with all
his might and reached much ahead of his predators. But unexpectedly his antlers
got entangled in the branches of a bushy tree. He tried but could not free the
antlers from the branches. He pulled with all his strength but all his efforts
were in vain. Finally he made a frantic attempt and luckily could release the
antlers just before the wolf could reach him. He made another frantic run for
his life and could fortunately outrun the wolf.

Reaching a safe spot, he turned
back and found that the predators had given up the chase. He sighed with relief
and thought how foolish he was in praising his pretty antlers and cursing his
ugly legs. Gratefully regarding his long and lean legs,with great appreciation, he remarked, “These
legs are really lovely. They saved me while the dangerous antlers would have
caused my death.”

Appearances may be deceptive. All that glitters is not gold."Charm is deceptive and beauty
disappears..."{Proverbs 31: 30}.

The Lord said to Samuel
about Jesse’s son Eliab, “Pay no attention to how tall and handsome he is. I
have rejected him, because I do not judge as man judges. Man looks at the
outward appearance, but I look at the heart {1 Samuel 16: 7}.

St. Peter
advises, "You should not use outward aids to make yourself beautiful, such
as the way you do your hair, or the jewellery you put on, or the dresses you
wear. Instead your beauty should consist of your true inner self, the ageless
beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of the greatest value in God's
sight" {1 Peter 3: 3, 4}.

This is Story No.
312 in the second site. Please click ‘Older Posts’ at
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